ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – An Ethiopian court ruled Tuesday that prosecutors have two weeks to finalize corruption charges against two dozen people who have been arrested, including a senior Cabinet minister.

The 24 people charged include the head of Ethiopia's revenue and customs authority, Melaku Fenta. They are accused of illegal trading and tax evasion.

Ethiopia's top anti-corruption official, Ali Sulaiman, told parliament Tuesday that the suspects had been under surveillance for over two years.

Prosecutors Monday requested permission to keep the suspects in custody for two more weeks for questioning. The suspects asked to be released on bail.

The country's intelligence agency and corruption watchdog announced the arrests of 13 people over the weekend. But court documents now show an expanded list of suspects that includes family members of the accused.